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Lt. General Arjun Ray, PVSM, VSM (Retd.)

PVSM, VSMChief Executive, Indus Trust

A soldier-scholar of the Indian Army, Lt. General Arjun Ray, PVSM, VSM (Retd.) has wide-ranging experience in matters of defence and conflict management, but he also is deep-rooted with a passion for social transformation. He is the CEO of the Indus Trust and provides vision and strategic direction to all Indus International Schools and Institutions. He is responsible for long-term perspective planning, leadership training, teacher development programmes, innovation in education, aligning parents, children, and community, and implementing the Trust's social responsibilities. Under his leadership, Indus International became a premium institution, and one of the top international schools in Bangalore.

He is a graduate of the prestigious Staff College at Camberley, UK, and served as the country's Deputy Military Advisor in London. On his last assignment, he commanded the newly raised 14 Corps in Ladakh. His success in forestalling insurgency in the region, by winning over alienated communities into the nation's mainstream, has been nationally and internationally acclaimed. Before building one of the top boarding schools in India, as a part of Operation Sadbhavana (Goodwill), he set up 13 schools, 11 Women's Empowerment Centers, and 60 Adult Education Centers for non-literate women along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. He provided free education and pastoral care to 125 Ladakhi girls in Bangalore colleges.

In recognition of his services in nation-building, he was awarded the Param Vashist Seva Medal, the highest honour in the armed forces for distinguished service. His success story in ‘change leadership’ has been selected as a case study for business and management schools in India. A dynamic leader, his imminent foresight and intellect, led him to mould Indus into a stellar educational institution and a top ranked international school in Bangalore.

In his second calling – international school education – he is of the firm belief that the purpose of education in the 21st century is to prepare the child for life; and that teachers must facilitating a nurturing environment, to unravel the potential in every child. Especially in residential schools in India, which is essentially a home away from home.

He deemed this possible, by inculcating the teacher and child with core leadership competencies, such as innovation, persuasive communication, critical thinking, grit and more which equips them to design their own future in a VUCA world (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous), vision that sets the bar amongst the top International Schools in India. Consequently, equipping them to design their own future in a VUCA world (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous). A vision that sets the bar amongst the top International Schools in India.

To implement this vision, General Ray setup 14 institutions: three International Baccalaureate Schools - all of which are among the top IB schools in India, the School of Leadership, the Indus Training and Research Institute, eight Early Learning Centres and the International Community School (the world’s first Equal Opportunity School for children living below the poverty line).

IB World has recently acknowledged General Ray to be one of the six IB World School Leaders for rethinking education and making high-quality education affordable to the underprivileged. Education World has named him one of the 50 game-changers in the education scenario in India. Furthermore, he was recently awarded the White Swan Education Award for India’s most Influential Leaderin education. With his radical vision, Indus International has become an example for schools in Bangalore, and throughout the country.

The General has three interests – reading, writing, and speaking on leadership. His first book, The Psychology of Military, is a purple primer in understanding the mind and motivation of a terrorist. The second book, Peace Is Everybody’s Business: Strategy for Conflict Prevention, is a treatise in conflict-prevention and has just been published by SAGE Publications. This book was inspired by General Ray’s experience in bringing lasting peace in Ladakh.

An exemplary learner-teacher-leader, General Ray’s vision and strategies for schools in India continue to innovate, drive, and go where others used to follow.

Priyanka Khurana

Head of Centre

Priyanka earned her teaching credentials from Southern Methodist University in Dallas with a special focus on Early Childhood – Grade 4 education. She taught at the Dallas Independent School District for 2 years and the Henrico County School District, Virginia for 1.5 years before relocating back to India. Priyanka also holds a Masters in Business Administration. Priyanka has been a part of the Indus team since 2011. In addition to being the Grade Level Coordinator for the past 4 years, she has donned multiple hats as PYP Action Coordinator and Events team member and working with new teachers to bring them up to speed on many aspects of teaching as a mentor. Priyanka took up the role of Head of Centre of Indus Early Years-Whitefield in early 2016. She has been working towards incorporating best practices for the benefit of the children. She is deeply passionate about children’s education and her philosophy of education centers on a collaborative approach with stakeholders including parents, teachers, and students as partners, and espouses student learning through exploration.

Ms. Navita Kishan

Head of Centre – PYP and Head of Indus Early Centers Bangalore

Navita Kishan’s philosophy of education centres on the belief that schools should harvest students' curiosity and provide a strong foundation for lifelong learning. She is always striving to make the classroom a stimulating and provocative experience where the individual’s point of view, supported by knowledge, skill, reflection and understanding is both valued and made useful. She believes that teaching with clarity, passion, empathy and sincere enthusiasm effectively impacts learners, ultimately connecting them to their ‘passion’ and lifelong learning.

Ms. Kishan has been in the teaching profession for the past 15 years and holds a degree in Science from Bangalore University. She is a trained International Baccalaureate PYP Workshop Leader and has applied International best practices in teaching and learning at Indus International School since 2005.

Mrs. Sarojini Rao

Principal of Indus International School, Bangalore

Mrs. Sarojini Rao, Principal of Indus International School, Bangalore since July 2005, has exceptional academic credentials. She ranked first at the University of Pune in B.A Economics and holds three post-graduation degrees – Economics, Education and Business Administration from the University of Edinburgh.

Trained in all the three IB programs (PYP, MYP, and DP), Mrs. Rao is also a graduate of the Principal’s Training Centre for International School Leadership, USA.

She is the Managing Trustee of Indus International Community School, Bangalore, one of India’s best international schools that offer quality education to the underprivileged.

Mrs. Rao has been instrumental in planning the curriculum and inter-curricular strategy, defining academic and non-academic objectives for the school, and in training teachers. She has played a pivotal role in making Indus the yardstick for residential schools in India. Her role includes formulating the Leadership Curriculum, the Instructional Supervision and Evaluation model for the school. With specialized knowledge of the Balanced Scorecard, she has implemented standards that set challenging and exacting benchmarks, which have rendered the all-around success of Indus as a top international school, in delivering holistic education with academic rigor as the highest priority.

Under her leadership, students are geared up to take on the challenges that lay ahead as flagbearers and makers of the future. Her emphasis on holistic education (without compromising academic excellence) has been the highlight of her conviction and has resulted in Indus being ranked the best international school in India for five successive years.

The structured leadership curriculum that involves every child has instilled confidence among students and has enabled them to set realistic goals and devise plans to achieve them.

Mrs. Rao is a role model for the core values of the school; love, empathy, discipline, and respect. This reflects in our students being sensitized to the needs of the less privileged in society, and their vigour to contribute through service. With her example, guidance, advice and ideas, Mrs. Sarojini Rao has built a strong team, and together they work to maintain the standards of the best Indian international school, bringing recognition and acclamation to Indus every day. Both, teachers and student leaders are committed to excelling in many fields of endeavour for themselves and the students which translates to passion and purpose, service and spirituality, respect for diversity and global understanding.

Mr. Sushil Mantri

Trustee

Mr. Sushil Mantri, the Chairman & Managing Director of Mantri Developers Pvt. Ltd, is an outstanding personality in the world of realty, housing and construction. He is a visionary with an astute and resolute sense of enterprise, who has transitioned from being an entrepreneur to an industry trendsetter. As the sole leader of his enterprise, Mr. Mantri motivates and advises his committed team on all matters concerning governance, infrastructure, business development & budgeting. His social initiatives reach out to schools in India, especially for those who are less privileged. His initiatives also include improving aesthetics of public properties.

Dr. Kumar Malavalli

Trustee

Kumar Malavalli is an entrepreneur, renowned philanthropist and visionary in the field of storage networks. He is the co-author and driving force behind Fibre Channel, an evolutionary technology that enabled the development of production-class storage area networks (SAN’s). He is also the Co-founder and former CTO of Brocade Communications; Co-founder, Chairman and CSO of InMage Systems; and the CSO of LeadFormix. In February 2003, he was inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Council’s Hall of Fame for his significant contributions towards technology. Kumar’s philanthropy in the field of education extends from digital learning centers in rural India to American institutions for higher education. He also established the 'Kumar Malavalli Endowed Chair' in Storage Systems Research at the University of California, Santa Cruz and co-founded Indus Scholastic Management Services. Furthermore, he also serves as a trustee to Indus International Schools. His contributions towards promoting the Entrepreneurship Curriculum and Wellness philosophy of the school are rather significant and make Indus one of the top international schools in Bangalore.

Professor Shivram Malavalli

Trustee

He is currently the Chairman for Indian Institute of Production Engineers, Senior Advisor at World Association of Small & Medium Enterprises and General Secretary of the Indian Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Parks Association. Professor Shivram Malavalli guides all the ICT and Telecommunication initiatives at Indus, shaping it into one of the best international schools in Bangalore, with remarkable technological capability. He was honoured in China for his contribution towards the growth of small & medium enterprises – both in India and abroad, by the World Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (WASME).

H. B. Jairaj

Trustee

Mr. H B Jairaj, the Chairman of HRB Group of companies, has an MBA (Finance) from Case Western Reserve University, USA, and is a prominent industrialist from the State of Karnataka. Mr. Jairaj has guided his group of organizations into successful ventures across diverse enterprises. His group’s various interests include real estate, hotels/serviced apartments, restaurants, and healthcare facilities. He also serves as a mentor and advisor to many aspiring entrepreneurs. He instills in them, a commitment to excellence while sharing his wealth of knowledge and experience. He is an active member and trustee of many prestigious associations, including the Karnataka State Cricket Association, the Bangalore Turf Club, and the Indian Red Cross Society. At Indus, he is at the helm of strategic and financial planning, paving our way up on the list of best schools in Bangalore.